


Daughter of Destiny

by Castle_inthe_sky



Series: Cirque du freak [1]
Category: Cirque du Freak | The Saga of Darren Shan - Darren Shan
Genre: Multi, Other, cirque du freak - Freeform, fan fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2018-07-11
Packaged: 2018-09-12 13:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9072724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Castle_inthe_sky/pseuds/Castle_inthe_sky
Summary: Eliza Lancaster is a normal middle school student who just happened to get mixed up with the wrong person; Darren Shan.





	1. Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Darren Shan or any characters/plots of the Cirque Du Freak series. This is purely a fan fiction/retelling of the original novels. Also, I publish these chapters unedited. Any mistakes will be fixed in the future, or upon revising the full finished draft.
> 
> The only person I own is my OC Eliza. Florence Warren belongs to user Connisaur 
> 
> Please enjoy!

This is a story about fate. My story about fate to be exact. Or, more so, a story about my best friend and I. 

My best friend was named Darren Shan—otherwise known as the boy who completely fucked up my life. We grew up together and planned to live out our lives together—no, not by getting married! We planned to live out our lives together as Vampire's Assistants. 

Unfortunately I must warn you, the journey ahead was long and rigorous. It wasn't exactly a happy one, either. But everything that I say is true.

Whether you choose to believe that or not is your decision.


	2. Cross my heart

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own the Cirque du Freak series or any of it's characters. The only character I own is Eliza, since she is my oc. 
> 
> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy this fan fiction

"Never fear! Hotshot Shan is here!" The young boy's voice rang through the air like a wind chime. His sea blue eyes caught mine as he passed by in a rush, his sandy-blonde sidekick in tow. Or maybe Darren was the sidekick. It was so long ago that I can't even remember. Anyhow, my story started in a schoolyard in a town far away from everywhere else, except trouble. Speaking of trouble. . . . 

Darren Shan was one of the boys in my class. He wasn't the most popular, but he had his own flock of friends—Alan, Tommy Jones, some other kid from the soccer team and his best friend Steve Leonard. Steve was a tall, skinny, sharp-eyed boy with long, shaggy blonde hair and an attitude to end someone's life. Back then I avoided Steve like the plague. When it came to Darren Shan, he was something different. We had grown up together and were even neighbours—our parents went to the same college and we often celebrated holidays together. That all changed when Steve came into the picture. Darren and I were best friends up until the fifth grade when he befriended Steve and they became inseparable. There was always something about Steve that drew people in (or, in my case, repelled them). He was dark and brooding and downright vile, but that solely depended on how you looked at him. 

Claire nudged me in the ribs, pointing towards the black and white checkered soccer-ball that had just plopped down into the dirt in front of my outstretched legs. "Hey, Liza!" called Darren, waving his right hand high in the air. "Pass that over here!" 

"No fair, Shan!" spat one of the older boys. 

Without a second thought I stood up and launched the ball rolling straight forward to the group of boys playing soccer at the bottom of the hill.

"Thanks!" He waved a hand in the air. 

I turned my back to them and flashed Claire a sour look. "You couldn't have passed it over yourself?" 

She shrugged her left shoulder, tossing a piece of curly blonde hair over her shoulder. "Does it matter? They were yelling for you." I sat down beside her and continued to watch the rest of the game in silence. 

Later in class Darren and Steve were passing a note over my head, making sure to miss me with such accuracy, it was pretty annoying them. Darren's forehead was wrinkled and he rubbed his hands together nervously, waiting for Steve's reply. 

I glanced at Steve and noticed him giiiirl you writing on the piece of crumpled up paper. His eyebrows were furrowed in deep concentration, his blue eyes scanning over the paper as if he had to choose his words very carefully.

Now I was curious. 

Once Steve was finished he held back his paper, admiring whatever it said. He gave Darren a knowing glance before gesturing over my head, following it by tossing the paper ball across the front of my desk instead. The paper rolled over my desk top and then onto the dirt covered floor. Darren's eyes widened and his eyebrows disappeared behind his long bangs when I dipped my head down to retrieve the note. Without so much as a second thought I uncrumpled the note, my green eyes scanning over the blue lines of ink scrawled in messy handwriting:

Steve: So, did you go to the theatre last night? 

Darren: Yeah, but I chickened out at the last second and took off.

Steve: You...

I couldn't read the word he wrote there, but I'm still pretty sure it said "Pussy". 

Steve: Why don't we go back there tonight? 

Darren: Tonight? No way! Something chased me away from there before I could get inside.

Before I could finish reading their conversation, Steve's silver irises were inline with mine. A gruesome smile hung across his gaunt jawline, his teeth resembled fangs for a few seconds before I realized he was talking to me. "Sorry, what did you say?" 

He grabbed the note and crumbled it in his trembling fist. He forced a ragged smile onto his lips, showing his teeth in a poorly concealed smile. "Can Darren and I speak with you after school?" 

"Sure," I gulped. "No problem." 

Big problem. I never should have opened that note. 

 

Steve thrashed me against the wall, shoving his right palm into my shoulder with such force that I actually winced in pain. 

"Steve!" Darren snapped, grabbing his best friend by the collar of his dress shirt and all-but hauling him off of me. "Don't hurt her!" 

"Why shouldn't I?!" Steve shot back, now turning his bad mood onto Darren. "She read our note without permission!" 

I held my hands up in mock surrender. "Hey, you guys were tossing it over my head. What else did you expect me to do?" 

"Gee, I don't know? Maybe we thought you were smart enough to mind your own goddamn business?!" Steve snarled.

"Steve!" Darren thumped him on the shoulder. 

Steve grumbled something under his breath, but ceased his harassment for the time being, jamming his hands into the pockets of his pants. 

"Did you read that entire note?" Darren asked, his head twisting around for a brief second to survey the area.

"No," I said, clutching my brown bookbag so tightly to my chest, I thought the buttons were about to stab through my palms. 

"Good," grunted Steve. He grabbed my black necktie, pulling my face closer to his. "And don't you dare think about telling anyone about any of this, got it?" 

"Relax, Steve," Darren patted his shoulder. "Eliza's not some sort of tattletale, she'll keep her mouth shut." 

"She'd better." 

Back then I highly doubted Steve would have tried to hurt me if I had bothered to tell anyone about Darren's little adventure, but if I knew anything about Steve Leonard, it was never to trust him. Ever.

Thankfully he decided to let me off the hook with some choice swearing and rushed off towards his house before I could even get two words in. 

I huffed, literally throwing my bag over my left shoulder. "You've really got a knack for picking friends, Darren." I brushed a piece of loose ginger hair from off the back of my neck. My eyes met his as he turned around and his mouth set into a thing line as i glared at him. 

"Steve's not all bad," he said, standing up on his bicycle pedals as we worked our way up hill together. "Once you get to know him, you'll see." 

"What makes you think I want to get to know Steve Leopard?" I shuddered at Steve's obnoxiously fitting nickname. 

Darren's dark eyebrows dipped at the corners, faint lines appearing across his forehead. "You know our—well, my—secret, now. So I think it's safe to say that you, Steve and I could, maybe, become better friends." 

I helped him push his bike up the rest of the way, taking the handle bar that was closest to me while he pedalled, though he made sure to keep both hands on the cool metal bars.His right hand over overtop of my left, bht neither of us mentioned it. It felt weird to be talking so casually like this. Darren and I haven't exactly been the best of friends outside of the classroom in a few years, so I couldn't shove the feeling of nostalgia welling up inside the pit of my stomach. A sort of happiness that I wasn't used to. 

"Yeah," I said, "maybe." 

He paused for a second before his cerulean-colored eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "So...do you want to go back to the theatre with me?" 

My mouth twisted up, eyes narrowing into slits of suspicion. "Excuse me? I thought you were too chicken to go back there with Steve? Why would you even consider going with me?" 

He got a little nervous, I felt his left hand twitching slightly next to mine on the handle bars just before I let go. We reached our houses after passing over the hill. "Well, I just...." 

"Come on, Darren," I coaxed, twisting the straps of my bag. "Spit it out." 

"I just miss hanging out together, y'know, like we did when we were kids?" 

I bit back a smile. "We still are kids?" 

He gave a dramatic gesture towards the setting sun in the distance. "Then what are we waiting for? The world is ours, and it should be illegal to waste such a precious opportunity." 

I paused for a second, thinking over my answer very very carefully. "You won't tell Steve? You know he'll just get mad." I stamped my feet, a rush of excitement sweeping through me like a gust of wind. 

Darren held out his pinkie. "I won't tell if you won't tell, promise?" 

I smiled before locking my pinkie with his. "Cross my heart and hope to die." 

I didn't know back then that the promise that we made under that late autumn sky may have sentenced us both to death.


	3. Circus of Freaks!

The late September wind nipped at my skin, even through my navy leggings and charcoal knee-high leather boots. I pulled the front of my pink and white-striped mock-letterman jacket closer to my chest, but the cold was sinking down into my feet. The sound of a loud pant flooded my ears as a door slammed in unison with the howling wind. Darren's dark hair came into view as he approached me from the cobblestones walkway in front of his house. 

"Hey, Eliza!" He gave a hearty wave as his footsteps grew closer and I stepped towards him. His left eyebrow quirkier, "Getting cold feet?" 

My teeth clenched together in a grimace. "Is it that obvious?" 

He chuckled, offering me a sympathetic smile. "Are you sure you want to go through with this?" 

"Yeah. I'm ready for almost anything." 

That was an outright lie.

 

The old abandoned theater stood tall and broke in front of us. My eyes scanned up and down it, taking in various cracks and cobwebs that painted the outside in a picture that I could never unsee. A spider crawled out from a hidden crevice and I felt a smile plaster itself across Darren's face. I gulped, clenching my fists as we went inside. We hurried along as if there was a sea crowd pushing us through the empty corridor. We crashed into something solid. 

The creature before us was about seven-feet tall, or more, it's eyelids were black instead of white and it's irises were white instead of black. It was weird and sported a Cat-in-the-hat-like top hat and a black suit. It bent down to get a better look at us and I noticed that it was wearing a white and red striped tie. "Evening, children. I am Mr. Tall." I snorted at it's whispered greeting. "Come in, Darren and Eliza, we've been waiting for you." It drew back a satin curtain with a large hand. 

"Thanks, uh, Mr. Tall," I passed behind the curtain without thinking anything of it. 

But Darren stopped. I heard him say something to Mr. Tall that sounded an awful lot like a question I should have asked before passing through. "How do you know our names?" 

"That's nothing to concern yourself with. Head inside," he said, "the show is about to start." Mr. Tall's gaunt face disappeared behind the deep purple.

I shrugged when Darren came to stand beside me. "There isn't anything we can do about secrets. Let's go find some seats in the back, y'know, just in case." 

Darren nodded, glancing over his shoulder before following me to a couple of vacant seats in the very back row. My hair whipped back and forth as my head darted around, taking in our surroundings like a scared child lost in a mall.

"Nope," I whispered to my best friend. "We're the only children here." 

Darren's eyes widened in horror and he shoved my head down into his lap, making a great effort to get down with me. I could feel his palm sweating into my scalp, but I couldn't do anything to object him—well, aside from digging my teeth into his thigh, but I don't think he would have appreciated that one bit. 

"Hey!" I gasped once he finally let me up for air. The danger had seemed to pass, but his face was paler than I ever thought possible. "What's wrong?"

Darren hesitated before giving a quiet reply. He was wringing his hands rather tightly, I followed his gaze across the theatre to the front row and then.... "Steve's here...." 

Just like that, the bright red curtains flung back from their stagnant position of blocking the performers behind them and the show had begun. Mr. Tall stepped walked out from backstage with confidence, greeting the crowd in his booming voice and extreme stature. He said a few words of excitement, and then moved into the grimier details of the show. "Welcome to the Cirque du Freak. Before we begin, this show is not for the faint of heart." I swear his eyes locked with mine. "Please leave if you are easily frightened." With the way Darren and I felt, we should have sprinted out of there and never turned back. I remember thinking that I wanted to leave. I wanted to go home. I didn't want anything to do with this theater. I stayed, glued to my seat with childish curiosity holding me down like a stone stubbornly refusing to budge. Others around us shuffled from their seats and fled from the building, but not many. 

"Without further ado, welcome to the Cirque du Freak," he repeated darkly. "Let the horror begin." And so it did.

I half-watched half-listened, all half-assed my attention toward the performers on the stage. It's not like their acts were bad or uninteresting, I just couldn't help but gawk at Steve for the majority of the show. I was more than afraid of what he'd do if he saw us.... Darren's eyes stayed on the stage. I think he was over the moon with terror, his hands kept shaking at his sides, but he leaned forward with intent towards the "freak" on the stage and didn't say a single word to me. In turn I said absolutely nothing to him, aside from the occasional laugh or snort towards some of the acts. 

We were about an hour and a half in, when the Wolfman had just been carted back behind the curtains and another person alongside Mr. Tall walked out passed the ladies with the Wolfman's cage. 

Mr. Tall had a flute in his right hand. A weathered-looking instrument, it could have been as old as time itself, but I couldn't get a good enough look at it from my seat. Nonetheless, I sat up. 

The man who stood alongside Mr. Tall in no way rivalled Mr. Tall's ridiculous height, but he was fairly tall for a human. He wore a bright red suit that only added to the mental image of him covered in someone's blood—he just gave off a certain vibe...one I didn't like. His hair was unusual, a crop of red hair that was far brighter than my own. "Now now, hold your applause," chuckled the newcomer towards the audience's silence. 

Mr. Tall gestured toward the performer with a small flick of his wrist. "Our last performance of the night is Mr. Crepsley and his beyond talented spider, Madam Octa." 

Darren's tired eyes snapped open, his attention at full focus. Let's put it this way, if human eyes naturally had camera lenses somehow built into them, his would have zoomed into full focus. All they had to do was mention the word 'spider' and he was hooked, lined and sunk deeper than the Titanic. 

Mr. Tall was right, though, Madam Octa's and Mr. Crepsley's performance was beyond phenomenal. I can remember one bit clear as day when Mr. Crepsley put his full trust into his pet—which, was a little stupid on his part considering he had just finished informing the audience of how poisonous she was. Anyway, he allowed Madam Octa to spin her web all around him, literally covering his face, and she even hung down from his chin! It was quite the sight! I would have liked to have seen more, but the show how to come to a close. Darren and I huddled in our seats, making sure to stay low just in case Steve happened to saunter by and notice one of us. We weren't as shaken as before, and Darren was practically giddy after the final performance. He especially wanted to see that spider up close. but there wasn't an aftershow party that night. 

"Don't you go getting any ideas, Shan!" I snapped in a harsh whisper. "I swear if you so much as think about talking to Mr. Crepsley and his spider, I'll kill you and throw the body in the river." 

Darren laughed a little, clapping the side of his fist to his mouth to shut himself up. "Yeah, sure you would, Liza. Just keep telling yourself that." 

"Well—" 

"Listen, we should head back. I promised Annie I'd bring her a toy or two back from the show." 

"You told Annie where we were going?!" 

Darren nodded. "You know how she is. She wouldn't stop nagging until I told her." 

"Whatever, let's just get out of here." 

We wandered aimlessly, trying to find the exit. I clutched the bag of souvenirs in my hand, our eyes darting around, looking for a sign or just a way out of the theatre. Instead we ended up stumbling upon a balcony. 

"I hear voices," said Darren. "Should we take a look?" 

"No way! We need to get the hell out of here before we're caught by Mr. Tall—or someone else!" I argued, pulling Darren's arm back, but he continued towards the gap.

We stepped into the light and emerged on the balcony before us, above the stage where we had sat amongst the audience. Below us stood two people, one way taller than the other. We ducked down on our hands and knees, peering to get a closer look at the two on the ground. Darren's face grew paler and paler with every passing second, I watched as his open palms curled into tight fists. I couldn't hear a single word. 

"E–E—Liza..." He choked out my name in broken gasps, his blue eye widening with horror. 

"Yeah?" I couldn't understand. But I did manage to catch a single word. Vampire.

"That boy down there is...it's..." 

I squinted, crouched forward, did everything in my power to see who it was. Looked through my memory. Who was the only kid we knew was here tonight? It crashed over me like a wave. "...It's Steve...isn't it?" 

He didn't have to say a single word.

We heard it all after that, our ears throwing our innocence to the demons below. 

"Mr. Crepsley, I want you to turn me into a Vampire," said Steve. 

It was like my eyesight had increased tenfold. I could see everything happening down below. Right down to their expressions, to the shivering of Steve's shoulders, the twist of uncertainty across Mr. Crepsley's mouth. 

"What makes you think that I would do such a thing? Blood a child?" He spat, literally. "Children are of no use to me." 

Wow! Was that about to change. 

Steve dropped to his knees, hands clasped as if he were about to pray. "Please! I have no one left in my life that I care for!" 

Darren's shoulders stiffened and I bit my bottom lip. Hard.

"That does not sound like a good reason for you to become a vampire," said Crepsley. "You would be throwing your life away." 

Steve continued in an unorganized ramble. I'm sure he rehearsed this little speech before he latched onto Crepsley, but his facade of bravery towards confronting a vampire was falling apart. "P–please!" was all he said. 

Mr. Crepsley's eyes closed, thinking, determining whether or not Steve was worthy of such an honour. "Fine." 

Darren's breath hitched in his throat. I clapped my right hand over his mouth.

"But first I must test your blood." 

Steve stepped toward, stretching his neck out. He remained on his knees. 

Mr. Crepsley looked down on him, dark eyes blinking. "What are you doing?" 

"Getting ready...for you to bite me?" Steve's response was hesitant, confused. 

A deep laugh erupted from Mr. Crepsley's throat, causing me to lean closer to Darren and grab his hand. "That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard! In all my years.... you humans come up with the oddest myths."

Steve's eyes narrowed. 

"Rise to your feet, Master Leonard," he instructed. Steve did so. "This will only hurt a tiny bit. Just like an injection." He pricked the back of Steve's left hand. 

"Gah!" Steve roared, veering back to his knees. "What the hell did you do?!" 

"Relax, it was just a little nick. It will not kill you." He sighed, shaking his head disapproval. "You humans just keep getting weaker and weaker with every offspring you produce." 

I thought Steve was going to pounce. But he didn't. Mr. Crepsley licked his thumb and we waited. He jumped away from Steve, hissing like a cat. 

"What?! What happened?!" Steve stumbled forward once he got to his feet.

"You bastard," Mr. Crepsley growled. "Your blood...it is filthy...dirty. You are full of evil." 

Steve's face fell, he looked to the ceiling for an answer, his open palms balling up into fists. He said nothing. They were silent for an eerie long while. Then a shout split my ears. 

"I'll make you pay, Vampire!" shouted Steve. "How dare you call me evil! That can't be! I won't let it be true!" 

"Pah!" Crepsley shot Steve a dirty look. "Get out of my sight, you filth." 

Steve growled back, but I couldn't heard him. Before I even knew it, Darren had my hand clutched in his and we were running into the night. 

I could believe it, but it was still a huge shock. Steve Leonard was...evil?


	4. Madam Octa

I met Darren outside of my house that following Monday, still shaking in my boots from Saturday's events. The circus, Steve begging Mr. Crepsley to turn him into a vampire....everything was just so...it was real. Steve was evil, we saw him and I think he saw us. 

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed Darren's lips moving, his mouth forming inaudible words that I didn't care to listen to. But I forced myself to pay attention to him, though all I really wanted to was smack him across the face and never see him again.... No, not true. That was my anxiety talking. 

"You did what?" I asked meekly. 

"I did it on impulse, okay? Can't you chew me out some other time?" He had his palms clasped over his ears, preparing himself for an earful. 

"No, I wasn't listening to what you were saying." 

He stumbled over his own feet as he went to back away, expecting me to lash out and slap him. "Oh, well, I, uh....I did something incredibly stupid," he said. 

"Darren, I don't have the energy to play games with you, " I sighed, "please just tell me already. I don't want to have to weasel it out of you." 

He caved. "Fine." He glanced over his shoulder a few times, his eyes searching for any nosy bystanders. In truth he was probably expecting one of my nosy older sisters to pop out of nowhere without warning. They were sure good at that. Taking a deep breath, he spoke, readying himself for the consequences. 

We wouldn't ever be prepared for what he was going to admit to. 

"I stole Madam Octa." 

As the words seeped into my ears, soaking my brain in their horror, I screamed. "You did what?!" I slapped my hand over mouth, doubling over as if I were about to vomit right then and there,  but nothing came out. Darren sank to his knees along with me, holding my forearms with violently trembling hands. 

"I'm so....so....sorry." The tremor in his voice told me that he was crying. 

My head shot up to look at him, my eyes burning with fury and guilt. "You idiot!" 

"I said I was sorry!" he sobbed. 

"That's not going to fix the fact that you robbed a vampire! For fucksakes, Darren! What the hell were you thinking?!"

"I wasn't," he swallowed hard, "not one bit." 

My fists tightened. "You most definitely weren't." I glared at him for a moment before muttering, "When did you go back?"

He wiped his eyes with the cuff of his white dress shirt. "After I took you home. The performers were all sleeping." 

I ran my hand down my face. "This is really, really bad." I contemplated slapping him like I had originally planned, but the idea grew less appealing as the regret painted across his face, his dark eyebrows dipping at the corners, eyes shimmering against the sunlight casting down behind my head. Oh, how I hated him sometimes. I was starting to plant false memories in my own head, lies of why we stopped hanging around each other before right then. It was all his fault. 

I stuffed a stray lock of hair behind my right ear. "What do you plan to do with her?" I unintentionally stared at his backpack when I asked that. 

He shrugged, the guilt seeming to have worn off as he let his mind run wild with the idea of having such an extravagant spider for a pet. "I haven't really thought about it yet, but I managed to snag the flute at the same time, so I'm sure I'll be able to master those same tricks we saw at the show."

"You mean you're planning on letting her out of her cage? Have you completely lost your mind?!" I grasped my fingers around the collar of his shirt, pulling his face close to mine so that he was forced to meet my scowl. "What are you going to do if someone walks in while you're playing with the damn spider? What if she attacks someone?" 

He winced. "I haven't thought about all that yet...."

I folded my arms over my chest, snapping my eyes shut. "You mean you haven't thought at all. Geez!"

Suddenly, he turned, pointing an accusing finger at me. "Hey! Why are you get so annoyed for? It's not like you're involved."

I thought for a minute. You know, he was right. It was his mistake and it was my duty as his friend to let him learn from the consequences all on his own. 

"You're right," I agreed with a sharp nod. I clutched the straps of my backpack and turned on my heels. I should have turned my back on Darren then, I would have saved myself a whole lot of trouble that way. "See you in school, Darren." 

 

***

I ignored Darren for about three days before I began to slip into a relapse, slowly inching my way towards his desk, before sitting on top of it one day during class. 

"What's up?" Darren's eyes lit up when he realized that I was actually sitting next to him—well, in front of him.

I fished inside my bag for the classic peanut butter and jam sandwich my mom packed me for lunch that morning, and pulled it out. "I'm sorry for being such a jerk before," I said, keeping my voice quiet. 

Darren shrugged one of his shoulders, continuing to eat his own lunch. "It's okay. I don't blame you for getting made I would have reacted the same way if our places were switched." 

I grinned. "Aw, you don't have to go that far," I grinned. "If I had a spider for a pet, you wouldn't leave my bloody house. You can't convince me that you would." I laid my left hand flat on his desktop. 

A wide smile split across his face and we broke into a fit of laughter. This earned us some odd looks from our classmates, and a whole lot of whispering, but it was better than avoiding each other like our lives depended on it. 

But we were growing too close for comfort.... We should have stopped right then and there.

"Do you want to come over tonight? My parents won't be home." he asked suddenly, causing me to nearly drop my sandwich on the floor. 

I felt my cheeks burn from embarrassment, but I nodded. 

Darren's face was almost as red as my hair, but he went on in a stammer. "I mean, Steve's going to be there, too, and Annie is likely staying home, but she'll be in her room—" 

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'll be there."

I didn't even care that Steve would be joining us for whatever fun we were going to have that night, I was just excited to talk to Darren again. 

 

Steve sneered at me when he noticed me come up beside Darren, my hands clutching my backpack. "Why is she tagging along?" he sneered.

I clenched my teeth before opening my mouth to answer. Every time I was near Steve a chill managed to sneak up my spine. "Darren invited me to the party," I said. 

Steve sniffed. "All right, whatever." 

We arrived at Darren's house without a moment to spare. The boys went inside before me. I ran over to my own house and dropped my bag on the floor, then I told my mom that I would be at Darren's and rushed out before any of my sisters could stop me. 

I entered Darren's house of my own free will and hurried up the carpeted staircase, taking the steps two at a time as I heard an uproar of chattering coming from Darren's bedroom upstairs. 

"Wow! That's amazing! How did you find her!" Steve roared. 

I froze on the spot. He couldn't have. He wouldn't.... I peeked around the corner and saw through the crack of the opening of his bedroom door. There standing on the carpet in front of Steve was Madam Octa.

Remembering what Mr. Crepsley said had said about the exotic creature at the show, I approached the room with immense caution.

"What are you guys doing?" I asked, calmly and quiet shutting the door behind me. I finger the lock with my left hand for a few seconds before reminding myself that nobody was home.

Steve shot me a glare before allowing the bright red spider to crawl up onto his shoulder. Darren had the flute against his lips. "Playing with this magnificent creature." 

That was one of the many things about Steve that made my blood boil with rage. He always tried to dumb down everything for everyone else. He talked to most people as if they were stupid. 

He offered me his outstretched hand, Madam Octa was perched on his knuckle. "Want to try?" 

I backed away, shaking my head. "No way." 

"Come on," Steve coaxed, shimmying on his knees in order to get closer to me. "She's not scary, and I'm sure she won't bite." His eyebrows furrowed, and I knew he was testing me. 

Darren stopped playing. "Yeah, Eliza, try it. You were saying at the show that you wanted to hold her." 

I held my hands up in mock surrender. Before I could answer, the door creaked open, smacking my ankles. I moved out of the way on reflex and Darren gasped when Annie poked her head through the open doorway. 

"Darren—" Annie's eyes landed on the spider that was now on Steve's neck. She screamed.

Steve collapsed to the floor with a sickening smack. Annie screamed again. Darren glared at Madam Octa and she scrambled into her cage. He picked up the cage and tossed it out the window without a second thought.

"Annie, go get my parents!" I snapped. 

"Is he dead?!" she squeaked.

"He's breathing—just—just go! Now!" 

I knew at that moment that it was game over....


	5. The first assistant

Steve was rushed to the hospital by an ambulance at approximately 8:12 PM that evening. Everything whirled around me so fast that, after Steve was placed into a room and put onto a respirator, I was forced to grab onto Darren's shoulders, I was so dizzy.

When we entered the hospital waiting room, Angela and Dermot Shan's faces were blanched and drawn. Angela's head was in her hands, and Dermot had his hands clenched together so tightly that his knuckles were stark white. I cringed when we made eye contact. Luckily my mom swooped in and began yapping like a chihuahua.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my fists. A nurse came by and asked the Shan's all sorts of questions about Steve.

"Sorry," said Angela to the nurse, "but he isn't our son."

As if Mr. Tall had cued her, Steve's mom came rushing through the hospital doors, her face flushed and her mouth twisted down at the corners in an attempt to suppress her oncoming sobs. She grabbed Darren by the collar of his shirt and shook him.

"What have you done to my son?!" she shrieked. "What have you done to my Steve?!" She only let go of Darren once Angela tightly gripped her shoulders, quietly shushing her.

My eyes scanned the room for a sound, a sign anything that could reassure me that Steve would wake up any second. That Madam Octa wasn't actually as poisonous as we thought. No one said a word. Not a sound, not a whisper of a prayer could help Steve Leonard now.

It's up to me, I thought....

The next thing I knew I was rushing down the road toward the abandoned, painted-chipped theatre at the bottom of the hill. I stood at the edge of town, unable to control the shaking in my legs and the trembling in my hands. I reached out for the brass knob covered in cobwebs, but I paused. It was dark and I could hear the off putting cries of animals howling from inside the shattered building.

I entered the building, blindly feeling my way through the main hall, tripping downstairs to an obvious cellar. I stopped myself and ran my fingers through my hair. "What am I doing?" I asked myself. But I didn't answer, someone else did.

"I was hoping that you could tell me the answer to the question, my dear."

I stopped dead.

The door in front of me had swung open, no one looming over me. A candle flickered directly across from where I stood, propped up on a golden metal holder of sorts in the center of a small table. A shadow sat at the table, shuffling a deck of card in his hands. He must have been playing a game of cards with himself. I grimaced, making sure my eyes locked with his. 

"Good morning, my dear," Mr. Crepsley said as he shuffled again. 

"Morning? It's the middle of the night!" I said, despite my momentary lapse of hysteria. I took a few steps closer. "You've been waiting for me...haven't you?"

"Believe whatever you wish," he said, rising to his feet, fingertips brushing the table as he laid the cards flat against the surface. 

His eyes were the color of potted ink, his neatly cropped orange hair was slicked back in the middle, even beneath the towering striped top hat he wore, it was obvious. He was sporting a wide-bared grin, across his pale, sullen face. There was a scar starting from the left corner of his mouth, creeping up toward his ear.

"My my, how lucky am I to have been summoned on such a lovely night by an even lovelier young lady." Tipping his hat, he dipped his head low and bowed in front of me. "What can I do for you on this fine evening, my dear?" he murmured smoothly.

My shoulders hunched, an overwhelming feeling of timidity collapsing over me. "M–Mr. Crepsley?!" I took a large step back to get away from the vampire, my mouth agape.

His smile only widened, his pupils narrowed, seeming to flee from the expanding whites surrounding his bay irises. "Ah! So you remember me from the show?" It was more of a statement than a question. "I am very flattered, young lady, thank you." He tapped his chin, thoughtfully. "Did you enjoy the show, Miss Lancaster?"

I didn't stop to question how he knew my name. "Eliza," I said. I straightened up a little. "Yes, well, that's what I came to discuss with you —I need your help."

"This wouldn't have anything to do with your sudden appearance, would it?" Mr. Crepsley's eyes landed on mine and then he suddenly pulled a crinkled piece of paper from the inside of his crimson, satin cloak. Written in big block letters was: Steve had nothing to do with this.

I knew from that second on that I was in deep shit.

I shuffled my feet, recognizing Darren's atrocious handwriting right off the bat. "You...know about Madam Octa being kidnapped for a time?" I braced myself for an earful.

He spoke rather gently, which surprised me, but I never showed it. "Yes," he said softly. "Your little friend, the one with the black hair, I believe, made hast with Madam a few nights ago, hm?"

I cringed at his condescending tone. "Yes."

Mr. Crepsley heaved a deep, contented sigh, picking at his disgustingly long fingernails as he spoke down to me. "Let me guess, that little insect Steve Leonard was attacked by Madam Octa—all against the will of your friend. The poison was too much for Steve Leonard's human body to take and he immediately succumbed to the deadly aftermath of being bitten?"

His "guess" was long and winded. I felt like curling up into a ball or grovelling for mercy on my knees, but as each word poured from his mouth I found myself gawking up at him, eyes widen with both shock and fascination.

I didn't even bother to ask him how he knew. I was absolutely certain that he had read my mind and was relishing in my guilt.

He continued. "You no longer want to see your friend suffer at the appendages of Madam Octa, thus you sought out me for an antidote?" He regarded me curiously.

I flinched, sinking to my knees and clasping my hands together, intertwining my trembling fingers. "Please, do you have an antidote?"

A small, clear vial harbouring a sparkling pink liquid shimmered beneath the moonlight, dangling from in between his index finger and thumb. "You mean like this?"

My lips spreading into a small smile as I reached out a hesitant right hand towards the substance that might just pull my best friend out of danger. But he swiped it away. Holding it high out of my reach, I rose up, hands balled into tight fists held defensively in front of my chest.

"There is just one thing that I would like to ask of you."

"What?"

"Why should I risk this precious elixir on an impudent little leopard?"

My thoughts froze, derailing completely. "I–He—Steve isn't that bad of a guy. Sure, he's a little twisted and sadistic at times—"

"He vowed that he would become a vampire hunter in the future," Mr. Crepsley said. "That vow alone is enough to determine the menace that dwells within him."

I wasn't much for defending Steve, but I tried my best. "Steve was just angry, that's all! He didn't mean it!"

"Children to learn that their words have consequences," he said absently, tapping the cork at the top of the antidote's bottle.

I sank to my knees once again. "Please, I'll do anything."

"Anything?" His eyes flashed with interest.

My heart slapped against my ribcage, hammering in my ears.

"Yes. I just want your help."

My mouth went dry.

"Fine then," he nodded contentedly. He seemed to be contemplating the decision rather thoughtfully, then spoke in a curt tone. "I want you...to become a Vampire. My assistant, no less." 

My heart stopped....

"I will inform you that the life of a vampire is a long and lonely one—but I am willing to take on your friend as well, so you will not be truly be alone, I suppose."

I said nothing.

"Well, I should say that once more. I am more interested in your friend than I am to have you as my apprentice. Ever since he left that note for me to find once he had taken Madam Octa, I have found myself intrigued by his actions. I would like to get to know him better." His voice was a little more than a whisper to my shaken state. "This opportunity is generously extended to the both you, I suggest you contemplate it quickly, but smartly. You would have to leave your life as you know it now, but Steve Leonard would be saved. Is that truly what you wish."

My thoughts raced. A vampire? Me? I had never even considered it, ever. I didn't want to be a monster. That was Steve's job. I only wanted to save the ungrateful cockroach to pull Darren out of his sorrow.

Why would a vampire want me as an apprentice?

But it was too good to be true.

He picked his nails, again. "I do not really want you, but something brought you to me, so I offered you this deal. What is your answer?"

"You're crazy!" I hissed, but I doubt he heard me. My palms were sweating so bad I was forced to noticeably wipe them on my trackpants. "Me? A vampire? Ridiculous?" 

But I had to think of Steve. Even though I he wasn't my favourite person in the whole world, I hated seeing Darren in such pain as he had been since Steve was bitten. I'd rather see Steve live than Darren suffer for the rest of his life.... 

Sorry, Darren. You're going to have to suffer just a little bit longer. 

I swallowed. 

"What is the matter, my dear? You look pale." Mr. Crepsley's voice was oozing with sarcasm. There wasn't a child on this damn earth that could loathe my position, except for the one boy I was going out of my way to save. 

"Fine...." I spoke so quietly, he couldn't hear me.

 

"What was that, Sweetheart? I could not hear you." He mockingly cupped a hand to his left ear. 

 

"Fine!" I roared at him, eye squeezed shut. "I'll become your assistant. Just, please, help me. I beg of you." 

A wide grin split his ugly, scarred face. "If you wish it, so it shall be."


	6. Eliza's choice

I took a deep, agonizing breath. "How do we go about this?" 

He pushed the table aside, stepped forward until he was in front of me. There was about a foot wide gap between us, but I couldn't think of anything else besides the fact that I was going to become a vampire. "You are only going to be blooded as a half-vampire," he began explaining. I only half-listened. "That means you will age age one year for every five years that pass. Full fledged vampires age one year for every ten years that pass. Do you understand, Miss Lancaster?" 

I gave a small nod. It wasn't that hard to understand, I just intimidating that this was truly happening. 

To my child self, Mr. Crepsley seemed like a sky scraper. He was so tall and I envied him just as much as I was terrified of him. "Do not be afraid, dear," he said softly, taking my left hand for brief second before letting go. There was the foul smell of blood hanging in the air when I began paying attention to what was going on. He had used his freehand to make marks in his right fingertips, he was now pricking his left. I hadn't even noticed. "Lift your other hand," he grunted. I was occupied watching the blood drip from my fingertips, but I obliged. 

Both my hands hung in the air and he suddenly jolted, his long, sharp fingernails stabbing into the soft flesh off all ten of my fingertips. I screamed and recoiled, curling my hands into my chest, gasping in pain. 

"Does it really hurt that bad?" he jeered, tugging my hands back towards him. 

"It hurt like hell!" I snapped without thinking, unable to fight his grasp on my wrists. 

He chuckled. "Of course it hurts. I hurt me too, back in the day." His words were full of reminiscence that I couldn't understand at the time. "Was your head full of fantasy of an easier solution? Get used to this pain. Much of it remains ahead, waiting for you in the darkest parts of the night." 

He placed a couple of his fingers in his mouth, making me cringe and watch him with an awkward stare as he sucked some of the blood from the wounds. My wounds. I watched in horror as he rubbed his tongue on the tip of his mouth. A few heartbeats passed before I realized that he was testing my blood, just as he had done with Steve's. Unlike the time with Steve, he nodded and swallowed. I cringed, again, as he swallowed. "You have good blood," he remarked. 

I hesitated, not sure if I should answer or not. "Uh....Thanks?" 

He proceeded to press his fingertips to mine, lining our vampire inflicted wounds so that they were parallel to one another. For a few seconds, nothing happened besides a feeling of numbness that started from my the tips of my fingers, working its way down my arms with the swiftness of a coursing river. Then I felt an awkward gushing sensation spreading via my hands. It took me longer than it should have to realize that we were exchanging blood!

The feeling was strange and I was certain that it would haunt me until the day I died. My fingers and arms felt a sudden tinglyness that made me want to pull away, but I couldn't. It started from the right side of my body before cautiously spreading to my left. Once the blood reached my heart, there was a stabbing pain over my chest and I nearly collapsed. I assumed the same sensation was happening to Mr. Crepsley, because he appeared to be clenching his teeth and he was sweating profusely. 

The scorching pain lasted until Mr. Crepsley's blood snaked its way down my left arm and began flowing back to its rightful place in Mr. Crepsley's body. We remained joined for what felt like an eternity before Mr. Crepsley broke his grip with a gruff shout as he pulled back. I fell backwards, tumbling head over heels into the wall that stood strong behind me. I was sick...and dizzy. 

When I looked up, I thought Mr. Crepsley was offering me assistance, but his fingers wiggled slightly. "Give me your fingers," he said. I noticed that he was licking his left thumb. I was too dumbfounded to reply, and I stared down at my hands. "My spit contains a healing effect that will allow your wounds to close." When I showed reluctance, he added abruptly, "You will lose all your blood and die if you do not obey." 

I glanced down at my ten, bloody fingertips, watching them slowly leak crimson. I allowed the vampire to put them into his mouth and drag his rough tongue over the wounds. His tongue felt like sandpaper, just like a cat's. Once he released them, I noticed the blood flow had ceased, leaving ten tiny scars in the bloods place. 

Noticing my poorly concealed curiosity, Mr. Crepsley explained. "That is how a vampire can be recognized," he said, placing his hat back onto his head. "That was the simplest way to shift the blood of a human. There are various other ways, but I thought that you would appreciate me choosing the least painful method." He gave me a tiny, teasing smirk and I mocked him with my own. 

 

"How considerate of you." I took a deep breath and exhaled just as deeply, adjusting myself to the new blood, although I didn't feel any different. "Is that all? I'm finally a half-vampire?" 

"Yes," he answered. 

"I..I don't feel any kind of changes," I told him, eyeing him suspiciously. 

He offered me his hand again, this time to help me to my feet. I gladly accepted the no verbal offer and allowed him to hastily tug me to my feet. I stumbled a little, but regained my balance quickly when he let go. "It will take some time for the changes to start, but you will feel them, there is no doubt. The shock would kill you if your body had adjusted right away." 

"How do you become a full vampire?" Allowing my newfound curiosity on the subject to envelope me like the darkness of night. It was exciting, I had to admit. Though I would rather have kept all of my humanity in the first place. There was no turning back now. I had dug my grave, so it was time for me to lie down. 

"The same way," he said, "our fingers would have had to have been pressed together longer, since that allows more blood to flow into the one being blooded." I shivered at the thought.

I mindlessly fingered with my hair. "Will I be able to do anything cool with my new vampire abilities? Will I be able to vanish out of thin air? Or turn into a bat?!" 

Mr. Crepsley's laughter quite literally bounced off the walls, causing me to panic. "A bat?!" he gasped between fits. "Do you truly believe those silly folk legends? How could anyone, even someone as small as yourself turn into a creature that is even smaller, such as a bat?" He tapped a finger to his temple. "Use your brain, girl." 

I hung my head in shame and shuffled my feet. "What are vampires able to do then that is so extraordinary?" 

He scratched at the long, ragged scar that lined the left side of his face, thumbing at it as he spoke. "Well, there is quite a decent amount that I will have to explain to you, and your friend once I blood him as well. I am sure that you do not mind waiting a little while longer for more explanation, hm?" 

He was right, really. When it really came down to the cold hard truth, we had all the time in the world to talk. 

 

Mr. Crepsley led the way out of the empty cellar, his heels thumping against the steps. My eyes had already adjusted to the dark to the dark before I entered the building, but I assumed the vampire blood had already kicked in, since I noticed cobwebs and spiders that I hadn't paid mind to before. There wasn't any reason for me to feel my way through the tunnel, either. 

When we got outside, Mr. Crepsley instructed me to climb onto his back. I was taken by surprise at the abrupt order, but he explained further. "Keep your arms wrapped around my neck. No do not let go at any costs." When I asked why, he simply said, "We are about to flit." 

I thought he said "fit" and I was even more confused. As I leapt onto his back and adjusting my arms, I noticed that he was wearing slippers instead of regular running shoes. It was an odd way to be dressed, but I said nothing. There wasn't a single thing about this situation that wasn't even the slightest bit out of the ordinary. 

His walking pace quickened slightly, then he started running, but everything seemed normal, until I cast my gaze ahead of us. We were on the sidewalk, but buildings and cars were speeding passed us in a blur of color ---red, grey, orange, and even navy! I tried counting the colors, but I lost track after twenty, there were too many shades to count. Then I tried listing off the multiple different shades that I saw, but that quickly became a hassle, so I settled for just enjoying the ride. The adrenaline was pouring through me, like being on a train for the first time and watching the scenery pass by you. All I wanted was more. 

Our trip came to a halt in front of the hospital only a few short minutes later. I slid off his back, making sure not to get my feet tangles in his stupid, red cloak, and gasped up at him, my eyes filled with amazement as I choked out. "How did you do that?! I thought you were just a vampire, I didn't know you were a magician too!" The comment was little more than a jest, but I guess my tone sounded genuine to his ears, because he answered with a deep chortle. 

"I am no magician, Miss Lancaster," was all he said, backing up into the shadows so that no one could see him. I debated about clouding myself in the shadows too, since I was a part vampire as well, but I didn't move. 

"What room is he in?" He tightened his cloak against his shoulders.

I told him Steve's room number, surprised at myself that I even bothered to remember it. He nodded, instructing me once more to hop onto his back. Now, it was my turn to nod and get back into place. Mr. Crepsley glanced up at the wall off the hospital that stood in front of us and appeared to be counting the number of windows. He shook his slippers off his feet, leaving them to tumble lightly into the grass, and braced his hands against the brick wall. He arched his fingers and...shoved his nails straight into the bricks. Then he began to climb. He scaled the building with no such grace as anyone, I imagined. But he made the task look easy. 

We crouched onto the window ledge and he somehow fingered the window up and open, rolling inside. He would have crushed me if he hadn't knocked me off first and, quite literally, tossed me onto the floor. "Ouch!" I growled. "You didn't have to be so rough," I whined, remembering to keep my voice quiet out of fear of being overheard. 

"My apologise." 

While he checked the door, my eyes ran over Steve's body, examining him thoroughly. His breathing had become far more ragged than it had been when the nurses had wheeled him into the room. There was a clear, triangle shaped mask with a tube descending from his mouth, connecting to a large, grey machine that made a soft puffing noise like a child's train set. He was hooked up to a few more machines that I wasn't sure what they were for, and I didn't care enough to ask. Not like a vampire would know. He was likely too old. 

"The poison has made a fair amount of progress through your friend's body," Mr Crepsley gazed over my shoulder, bent over. "We may not be able to save him now." My insides froze as he said those words, the faces of Darren and Steve's mom appearing into my head at that moment. 

"You'll just have to try," I breathed. 

He cocked Steve's head to one side and instructed me to hold his head in that position. I did and watched anxiously as he fished around in one of his multiple pockets and pulled out a small vial. He turned on the bedside lamp and examined the antidote carefully. "Although this is the cure, it is almost as lethal as Madam's poison," he said. "One wrong move and..." I grit my teeth before he could finish the rest. 

He uncorked the bottle and made a small incision with the nail of his left thumb, blood covering the hole, then tipped the bottle to his lips. For a second I thought he was going to drink the antidote, rendering my end of the bargain as being acted upon in vain. However, he noticed my shock and reassured me before slugging it back. "It must be passed over by mouth." He poured the serum and closed his lips around the newly awarded cut on Steve's neck, passing the antidote over to his bloodstream. He stepped back and spat the rest of the serum onto the carpet. "I am always afraid of accidentally swallowing the remains." 

Steve moved. Then twitched. I thought he was about to relapse until his neck flexed, then his head, his eyelids disappearing as his face scrunched up, his shoulders following the voluntary response, attempting to stretch. I took a step away as a moan escaped his pale lips, his skin beginning to slowly flood with color once more. It was almost as if Steve was coming back from the dead. 

"W-what...what's happening to him?" I stuttered. 

"He is all right," Mr. Crepsley said. "He was on the brink of death. The journey back is a long one, so he will be stiff when he fully recovers and will fall to the hands of colds easily, but he will more or less be as he was." 

"...He'll always be evil?" I questioned in a whisper. 

Steve eyes jumped open as I said that to myself, but they shut again, only to open once more and then close. My face twisted in confusion and I jumped, shaking him, unable to speak. I glanced at Mr. Crepsley for an answer before turning my attention back to Steve. "He will drop in and out of consciousness repeatedly in this state," he said, "but he will be fine. I assure you that." His words were full of malice. 

"Steve...?" I asked, weakly shaking him. 

Mr. Crepsley watched me for a few seconds before beckoning me with a wave if his hands. "Come. We must be off before anyone sees us."

Suddenly nurse burst through the door in a fit. "This is a hospital and visiting hours are over for this evening," she snapped. I said nothing, but Mr. Crepsley reacted quickly and tossed a bedsheet over the nurse's head. She fell and scrambled in an attempt to shake off the sheet. 

"We must go!" he snapped at me. My gaze drifted from Mr. Crepsley's outstretched hand, to Steve, the nurse and then to the opened door. I reacted before he could say more and bolted from the room, taking off like a shot and sprinting down the dimly lit corridor. The only thing following me was a howl of laughter. 

"Run Eliza Lancaster," Mr. Crepsley said. "But what has already been done will catch up to you." 

Despite his haunting words, I kept running.


End file.
